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Friday, September 6, 2013

Fiction - EVR The Game - Capital Mission

Fan Fiction Friday! Escape pod here to a rather nifty spreadsheet detailing the various MWD's in game.

Before we get onto today's short, I'm looking for some help. I need someone with excellent English skills who enjoys Eve Fiction and needs ISK. I have a 23,000 word novella finished. The wife is doing the first proof read, I need a fresh pair of eyes as another proof reader. If you fit the bill, and would like to help, drop me a line in game. You'll get an acknowledgement in the electronic book (it'll be a pdf with cover etc) plus a chunk of ISK for your trouble. Now onto this week's short.......

The more I hear about Eve Valkyrie the more I think its going to be a stand-alone multiplayer shooter game with no single player campaign. I suppose that should have been obvious, but it is a major disappointment to me. A Wing Commander-esq game set in the Eve Online universe using the Oculus Rift........ sorry, just hold on a second...... *hits it with desert spoon. DOWN BOY! DOWN! Sorry about that, inappropriate nerdboner needed beating down. Anyway, I can still image what that game would have been like. I would guess this mission would have been several from the first mission. Your character's skills have been noticed and you are being trusted with better craft and more important missions.....

EVR The Game - Capital Mission

Blair was sat in the bar, the lights were down and the red warning lights gave the area an errie glow. The synthahol burned his throat has he drank. He was inside the 24 hour limit so couldn't have a proper drink. Aki entered the bar and came over. Blair pushed a seat out with his foot and his friend sat down.

"So what's the news from the flightdeck?"

Aki grabbed the bottle of non-alcoholic whisky and poured himself a glass.

"Same old same old. We are pretty sure the frogy Thanatos class carrier Triumph is out there somewhere. Like us its probably in low-emissions mode to avoid scans. Scout wings sent out to find it have only encountered their scout wings trying to find us! The question is who is going to find their prey first?"

"And the capsuleers?" Blair asked.

"Same again. They are fighting over the navy complexes and at the large 'roid belts, few skirmishes around the stargates. We're keeping away from them and sticking to the small rouge belts the capsuleers never bother with. To be honest...."

Aki was cut short as a briefing alarm sounded. It was the signal for all combat pilots to haul-ass down to the briefing room.

"Did they find us, or did we find them?" Blair asked rhetorically as they quickly strode to the exit.

-o0o-

"We've found them!" Wing Commander Chen announced. "The Triumph is located off a small asteroid belt some 12 AU from our current position."

There were murmurs from the assembled pilots.

"This is a great oppertunity for us. A frog carrier has been located and we get first strike against it. We'll be launching a two pronged attack. A first wave of attack fighters will go in and draw the fire plus engage any defense force. Then the attack bombers will do in and do their thing."

A hand raised and the Wing Commander nodded to the pilot.

"Sir, won't their defensive force be greater than our attack force?"

"No pilot. We have an electronic warfare ship stationed 5AU from their carrier. Its was projecting the ident of this ship, nothing major, just enough to let them get a glimpse. Their scanners picked up the feignt signal and they sent scouts to confirm. We jammed their communications and destroyed them 5 minutes ago. At this very moment the frog pilots are likely getting a briefing very similar to you. They will be certain that they found us and we destroyed their scouts. Both carriers are planning strikes right now. The only difference is when they come out of warp they are only going to find mines we're placing right now. By the time theu realise it was a decoy we'll be launching compact citadel torpedo's up the Triumphs tail pipe and you'll be heading back for a beer. Now any other questions? Good. Dismissed."

Blair picked up his datapad as his assignment flashed up. He did a double take.

Siren appeared from out of nowhere and grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on kid. We've got the big fireworks to play with!"

-o0o-

Blair was pushed into his seat as his Longbow class fighter-bomber launched from the carrier. He aligned to the destination and waited. The light fighters were already slipping into warp to distract the carriers sentry weapons and to engage what remained of their fighter compliment.

The Longbow, which was a lighter version than the capsuleer used Mantis, was not designed for taking on other fighters. Although it was equipped with a turreted railgun, its main offensive capability was the two racks of 'Bright Star' compact citadel torpedoes. The railgun was simply to try and hold off attackers as the bomber aligned and locked its massive payload onto the target and launched. A standard light fighter would always beat a Longbow in a protracted fight.

"How you holding up Blair?" Sirens voice sounded in his helmet.

"Well to say this is the first time I've been sat on top of enough high explosive to reduce my body to their component atoms, pretty good!"

"Good. Get ready as we're wing-warping in 3, 2, 1....."

Blair heard the engines spin up and the warp tunnel formed in front of his ship as the ship increased in speed. Seconds later he was travelling faster than light.

-o0o-

The warp tunnel collapsed and Blair was greeted by a scene of carnage. The resistance was much greater than expected. All around him fighters weaved around burning wreckage as barrages of anti-fighter fire leapt from the Thanatos carrier. Blair engaged evasive manoeuvres and started locking on to the hulking carrier. 'Bright Star' compact citadel torpedoes were one of the most devastating anti-capital missiles developed. They had a two stage warhead. The first was a superheated plasma. On contact with the enemy ship the first warhead would explode forward in a cone. The superheated plasma would melt through the armour and structure as the depleted uranium inner warhead punched through the molten metal. The combination of the plasma and the hardened missile would allow the projectile to punch deep inside the target before the compact thermo-nuclear warhead detonated. For maximum effect the missiles targeting systems would lock onto internal critical systems such as the warp drive and the primary and secondary reactors. The downside to this was a massive increase in target lock acquisition. It took almost twenty seconds for the missiles to achieve a firing solution. In a situation like this, an eternity. They also were ineffective against capsuleer piloted vessels who were able to use their damage control systems to block the missile's path with an internal forcefield.

Hybrid weapon fire streaked past Blairs hull as he watched the 12 targeting reticles, one for each missile he carried, sweep over the Thanatos' hull on his HUD. The six missiles in the top rack and six in the bottom were now exposed. They would communicate to each other, each selecting a different target within the huge carrier for maximum effect.

An alarm sounded indicating an enemy target lock had been made on him. Blair scanned his overview to see what was targeting him. A Bullfrog fighter was closing in on him fast. He swung the railgun turret around and fired a antimatter slug at the approaching enemy. It swerved to avoid the incoming projectile and broke its lock in doing so. Blair had gained a few more seconds.

Blair scanned the battlefield and saw two fighters engaging Siren's Longbow. Ignoring the Bullfrog for now he re-angled his railgun. The charge hit the enemy fighter in the rear, slamming it off course. A second shot glanced off its shields. Like an angry wasp the fighter left Siren and came for Blair. He swerved to avoid a volley of blaster fire and saw his targeting knocked back a few seconds due to the deviation of the ship. He muttered a curse and brought the ship back to bare on the carrier.

"Thanks kid." replied Siren "But those ass-hats completely broke my lock, I'm swinging around for another run but its going to take time."

Blair was still focusing on the fighters and the carrier. His torpedo's were finalising their locks. The carrier now filled most of his view and red targeting icons were flashing fast as his weapons systems plotted the flight path.

"All ships! All ships! Bail if you can. The rest of the frogs are 20 seconds out. The mines did not work. We're about to be swamped! BAIL. BAIL. BAIL."

Blair ignored the order and continued his attack run as alarms indicated he was taking fire to his rear shields. A quick glance confirmed two enemy fighters on his six and his shields were dropping fast. As his low shield warning alarm sounded the long tone of missile lock rang in his ears. He hit the fire control and activated his afterburner. The twelve missiles left his ship and started their run at the carrier. Now with his 'fish' free, the afterburner on his bomber gave some distance from the two fighters behind him. However, he was heading straight towards the enemy carrier. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The carrier had reassigned its batteries to try and shoot down the incoming torpedoes. That meant Blair was flying into a wall of enemy fire. He pushed the stick down hard and went into a deep dive. The pilot directly behind him could not see what had been happening as the bomber was blocking his view of the carrier. Suddenly the Gallente fighter saw the bomber in front of him dive sharply to be replaced by a wall of hybird charges. The fire from the carrier's defences slammed into him. The Bullfrog pilot who was just behind him saw his fellow pilot ripped apart and was just able to dive under the incoming wave of fire.

Blair reassessed the situation. If he manoeuvred too much his speed would drop and that Bullfrog fighter would finish him off. If he stayed on course, he'd pass directly under the carrier with only a few metres to spare. He glanced at his weapons panel. Three of the twelve torpedoes had been shot down, but the remaining nine had hit. Their superheated plasma warheads had been deployed. He knew that was the last he'd hear of them. They were now within the carriers superstructure burying hard towards their intended target. Communications had been lost due to the thick armour plating of the carrier. He now had to trust in the missiles internal guidance to reach the intended target inside the capital ship. His own ship slipped under the Thanatos' hull as a massive explosion ripped out a section of the carrier's armour to his port side. This was followed by another just ahead of him. He spun his ship starboard. Threat indicators lit as the pursuing Bullfrog closed. Blair just managed to see the fighter coming in for the kill as another massive section of the underneath of the carrier blew out, vaporising the approaching fighter.

A few seconds later his bomber flew clear of the crippled carrier. He quickly aligned the ship and entered warp before any of the remaining enemy fighters came looking for revenge.

-o0o-

On the bridge of the Shamaso a cheer went up as the view-screen showed the enemy carrier aflame. A cloaked Buzzard class covert ops ship was transmitting video of the battle from a safe distance away.

Wing Commander Chen smiled. He had taken a risk assign that rookie to one of the bombers. Blair had showed potential in the first four missions, but some pilots hesitated when pulling that trigger meant thousands of people dying, not just a single adversary who was also trying to kill you.

The war was going badly, the Gallente now had control over the majority of the war zone. The next missions would be massive risks, but with pilots like Blair, they might just pull it off.

6 comments:

I have gone over every single fan fiction more then once. I can't get enough.Born and raised here in Canada, Member of the Canadian Armed Forces the past 8 years. Reading and writing a lot of proper English is a MUST in my job.

Nice piece of fiction as always. Nice to see a pro Caldari piece for a change. I would also offer my services as a proofreader, but I can't see myself as any better than those who have already offered.

Wow, the idea of an actual novella is great news. I hope we can read here how that develops. I would offer my skills, but English is a second language for me and I have a hard enough time proofreading my own fiction as it is.

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